Wednesday, April 11, 2012

There once was an agave there…

It’s a special bit of Portland history, spoke of fondly when Agave-centric people gather together… “Once there was an agave there…it was beautiful…it bloomed” next in a somber tone “Then of course it died, and it was not replaced” …some people even go further and say there were pups, and that they were removed. I even heard tell once of where one of those pups might be living.

So it’s true, Agaves can live long enough to bloom in Portland, Oregon. Above is a photo of the legendary Agave and bloom spike, taken in 2006. I first posted it back in January of 2010, and realized the other day I’d never taken pictures of the rest of the garden.

It was a grey, kind of rainy afternoon and I was planning to stop at Garden Fever just a couple of blocks up the street. Since Lila was with me we needed to do a little “preemptive” walk before our nursery visit, you know, so there wouldn’t be any surprises at the nursery (Garden Fever is a dog friendly nursery, gotta love that). So camera in hand we walked around "the Agave house"...

The plantings here are the kind that look good year round, I imagine the homeowners as people who like to have a tidy well manicured garden but are maybe not themselves gardeners. Of course I could be wrong about that.

Doesn’t this location (and the style of the home) remind you of the “Mediterranean” garden I visited a few weeks back? There the steep rocky slope was being fully utilized for my favorite spiky plants, here, not as much.

I’ve heard talk of a guerrilla-gardening style event, where an unknown group of gardeners swoop in under the cover of darkness and restore an Agave to this Agave-less garden. Who knows, it could happen...

Yes you are correct of course, there are a lot of fabulous things...Yuccas and Palms and of course some amazing Bamboo! I didn't mean that there wasn't a lot to love...its just that this is one of those rare locations in Portland that practically screams out for an Agave (or 10) and it makes me sad that there isn't one. Still I love this house and garden, I drive by it frequently...and thought it was time to take some pictures.

Slopes definitely add to the possibilities don't they? When we moved in Andrew wanted to build a wall along the public sidewalk and raise our yard up a bit. I'm glad we didn't go that route and left the slope.

I remember the agave. It was just amazing when it bloomed, but I hadn't though about the fact that even the pups are gone now. I always admire their "shield" art on the slope, too...it's a piece I think might be left over from previous owners (cool thing to acquire with the house, that slope, and the garden if so, right?) It's definitely the most notable and fabulous home you see driving up Fremont.

I think you're right Jane, that the art is left from the previous owners (the Agave people). Funny it wasn't until I read your description (shield) that I realized I've always thought of it as an abstract turtle, silly when it has so many legs.

Yeah...this is definitely one of "those homes". Homeowners are probably not into gardening, but whomever the landscaper was, sure did/does a great job in long term planning. Excellent garden to present......a lot to like about this space.

I recently discovered your blog - love it! I live in Bend and haven't ventured up to Portland to check out the plant/garden scene much. After seeing this house and some of your other posts - I can tell I definitely need to make the trip soon!

Great post; your photos are always wonderful, but I love this title. Here in DC we reminisce about Auricaria and Eucalyptus that used to be, although for the last 5 years or so the winter's have been so warm we don't seem to lose them anymore!